Chicago sinkhole opens up near homes in neighborhood

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CHICAGO, IL (WGN) — A huge sinkhole opened in the road in Chicago’s West Pullman neighborhood Monday morning.

Residents all along a one block stretch of Wentworth on the far Southeast side felt the earth shake, heard gushing water and saw the street in front of their homes collapse into a gaping hole.

A leak in a water main had begun to undermine the pavement and weaken the subsurface so much that the cave-in resulted.

“It eventually washed-out the street and then the street just collapsed on top of everything,” said Managing Deputy Commissioner Bill Bresnahan. “Once the street came down, it broke the water main which caused the big early this morning.”

Since the street has been undermined, officials will have to open up the whole street. They will dig it all out and fill it all in and make sure it’s all compact and working. They say that could take at least a week.

But water department officials say residents may have water back on late Monday or early Tuesday.